Home school learning I'm exhausted, how are you feeling and getting on?

[947EliseChalotte]

I'm so tired, losing my motivation with trying to look after the kids and do home learning. How are you feeling and getting on?

Hating it and we are both finding it stressful!

We're doing rubbish here, luckily in Scotland so we are on our final week!

All bored with juggling work and home learning. Year 7 with EHCP has been back part time since half term and year 5 child is back 2 days a week this week, hooray! Looking forward to summer when we can let them do what they like guilt free.

It's got much easier as time's gone on. Instead of trying to do a 9-3 school day and it all falling apart by lunch, we've taken it as it comes, 30 minute limit to every lesson, nearer 20 is preferable and no pressure. Lots of breaks and variety every day, teach it practically if possible and we've finally cracked it. Took forever though. However, he's learning lots now and seemingly, enjoying it.

Tomorrow we're going to a National Trust garden with den building and taking a picnic so we can practise acute/obtuse/right angles while building, science topic (life cycles of plants and trees), Spanish (weather, food), PE, etc.

Trying to balance older dd's needs is harder as helping her with a 2000 word essay on inference requires a lot more concentration than explaining equivalent fractions to an 8yr old and it's impossible to flit between the two.

In a word - shit.

Teens want to be independent but don't have the skills needed yet. I work full time and DH is crap at all of this. Very FML today.

It wont be much longer. Hang in there.

Really bad. Youngest is cleveR but refuses point blank to do anything. I think he is getting depressed as he isn’t seeing friends. Oldest is better with getting work done but is getting very down too. Staggering how little interest the schools have in them beyond school work.

Pretty good. Have got into a nice rhythm with it, have reached a better understanding of what does and doesn’t interest him. Have covered enough basics to feel totally relaxed about sacking things off when not going well. I have been pretty relaxed from the start though - not putting pressure on either of us.

It’s hell. It’s fresh he’ll every day. I pour myself into it, I make every effort to be enthusiastic, praise etc and yet it’s minimum effort on their part. It’s like pulling teeth. I love my kids but I cannot wait for them to return to school.

Not great. Reception age child is back at school but that's the one I can actually engage with. Year 3 child has ADHD and despite being frighteningly bright had the attention span of a GNAT unless it's something they've chosen to look at and I don't think Minecraft is a curriculum subject yet. I also find the older child much harder to relate to in many ways - very different personality type from the youngest who I 'get' much more. I find it very hard to inspire and motivate when I don't understand.

I also suspect I'm borderline depressed. Not enough to be in the depths of departure but just exhausted and struggling to keep going with the absolute basics and any little set back knocks me flat.

Anything vaguely challenging (like household admin such as dealing with bills or insurance) takes a huge amount out of me so I can only do little bits each day. It's been a horrific couple of years that I was only just pulling out of as lockdown started and I think I've just given up. No point really trying with anything until September.

Depths of departure?
I think I meant depths of despair...

I'm a supply teacher so furloughed at the moment, but homeschooling my own children. It's quite "dry" stuff coming out from school so we have added in some more exciting "projects" aka diversions. My youngest is into computing and gaming so we have used a few resources from codeclub.org/en/ and other sites to mix it up a little. It's aimed at 9-13 year olds if that helps anyone? I can help more with resources if anyone needs them.

We're all just doing our best, so sometimes if you can find something that fits in with their interests, it helps to give them a task that is more engaging. I have reduced the school day quite a bit too, as 6 hours at home was far too long for either of us!

My eldest has been brilliant, doing her college work constantly, 2x Ds age 13 & 4, 30 mins every other day. .....

Don't do it then. They learn plenty through play and real life, without forcing them to sit down and write etc.

The parent is legally responsible for the child's education, even if some of them choose to delegate it to a school. So you don't have to accept them redelegating specific work back to you.

I'm exhausted by all the arguments we get from them! My husband is a maths tutor anyway so he has been teaching the 9 year old and I've been trying to jolly along the 12 year old who won't let me actually help him much. They're doing zoom lessons with a tutor as well. But every time we warn them that we're about to start lessons they complain and moan. Roll on the summer holidays!

I've had enough now. Ds is 7 and we're doing Oak Academy. I sit with him for his lessons otherwise he'll just mess around. We both have minimal enthusiasm for it (I'm trying not to show it though!) I'm letting more things slide. Dd is 15 and year 10. She is coping quite well, she's found a good rhythm and is getting on well with it.

Struggling can't wait for end of term, though I fear the summer holidays will be equally difficult this year.

Yanbu. We are okay, but mostly because I've given up! We get through English, maths, reading and spelling every day. Anything else is a bonus.

And now it is hot and we are in a social bubble with my mum who is desperately bored (she has been alone since March) so my mum is constantly trying to get an invitation to come over, and the second she does, DD stops work. It's hopeless!

I'm beyond caring most days. The school my DD used to enjoy going to, to really doesn't seem to care at all what she is doing or not doing. I think they have decided it's pointless trying to enforce anything across the board. Anyway we are being given stupid stuff to do at home - there is absolutely no point my DD learning Oak National's Spanish lessons, she will just forget it all again. And I'm not going to push her to study RE - surely it's a joke to think she will actually sit and watch these videos?!

Last couple of weeks have been a massive struggle, 8 year old and 6 year old. 39 weeks pregnant today and I have decided to end the school work and do more fun educational activities together before the baby comes :)

With my year 1 child now back in I thought we were doing ok with my year 4 child.
School message, a reminder that all the work is on the school website. I don't think much of this as I'd already downloaded a lot of stuff, but I recheck it anyway.
Wish I hadn't. He's over a month behind with work, there's so much more been added on!
He's getting sloppier with his work too. Exhausted.

I am finding it harder as mine have gone back 2 days a week, so out of the routine, its hard to get it back for the other days.

I am also struggling as a teacher to keep providing work online, with no interaction with my students. Its really tough.

I am monitoring work but not chasing odd lessons missed, if a pattern forms I will get in touch but I really do appreciate how hard it is currently.

I have gone from a lovely calm household to tantrums, meltdowns, shouting - and that is just me!

I cannot be bothered to do any school, when I don't, the behaviour of my kids goes downhill because they are bored. Its a downward spiral.....I dream of just dropping my kids off at school and running away - pretending I know nothing about Corona Virus!

We are giving up on school work for ds. He mainly just had worksheets which were just revision. We are now doing our own thing. Some maths and English which are a bit more stretching. Some history using Oak Academy and other resources, some music and MFL. He seems a bit happier even if school isn't too impressed.

A token gesture 2-3 times per week.
DS (9) has dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism so that's not the easiest combination. Fantastic general knowledge and application of ideas, weak literacy, puts up mental walls easily.
DS (7) is educationally immature with low attention span. Possibly dyslexic? Certainly reluctant to write.
I spend most of the session feeling like a sheep dog rounding the other back up when I went to help the other. DS2 is very crafty at sneaking onto CBBC games when doing Bitesize.

Nothing like the days when I was paid to teach teenagers!

My youngest dc (9) is now refusing to do a thing.

My eldest is still doing a bit but it's getting tougher every day.

I hate this